Baylor fights through mental ‘fog’, knocks off Samford 42-7

By Jackson Posey | Sports Editor

Baylor took care of business against Samford at McLane Stadium Saturday, winning 42-7 in a turnover-heavy game.

Redshirt sophomore Bryson Washington rushed for 135 yards and two touchdowns, but the Bears (2-1) struggled at times to move the ball against a Samford (0-3) defense that had allowed 72 points across its first two games. Redshirt senior quarterback Sawyer Robertson threw a pair of interceptions, his first of the season, while the Bears’ defense picked off three passes of its own.

“There’s high expectations and we did not meet those today,” head coach Dave Aranda said after the game. “I think we were kind of pulling teeth to get a focus and an energy … I think sometimes when you’re in a fog, you can come up with, ‘This is my story, this is what I was seeing.’ The thing that we got is the tape. We’re gonna put on the tape and the tape ain’t going to lie. So we got to get better.”

Baylor’s defense opened the game forcing a three-and-out, its first since the first drive of the season opener against Auburn. Redshirt senior Placide Djungu-Sungu swatted the ensuing punt, which took a Samford bounce before being corralled. Four plays later, Washington punched it in for the first score of the game.

After another defensive three-and-out, the Bears struck again, driving 82 yards in two minutes for another score. Washington gashed the defense for rushes of 23 and 31 yards, and redshirt senior wide receiver Josh Cameron fought through pass interference to catch a contested back-shoulder fade in the end zone.

“It feels good,” Washington said. “We’ve been harping on being able to run the ball. I mean, surpassing that 200-yard mark [as a team] this game, it really solidified a lot of things in our room.”

The Bulldogs turned the tide late in the first quarter, forcing a three-and-out of their own and scoring a touchdown on a flea-flicker pass by halfback CJ Evans.

And Samford cornerback LaShon Young piled on, picking off Robertson — the quarterback’s first interception of the season — to set up the Bulldogs in the red zone, in prime position to tie up the game.

DJ Coleman had other plans. The junior nickel popped the ball out of Jaden Gibson’s hands as the wide receiver spun out of a screen pass, sending the ball skying into the air before dropping into the outstretched arms of sophomore linebacker Kyland Reed. The recovery marked the Bears’ second forced turnover of the season.

“Whatever we can do to get some takeaways,” Aranda said. “It’s good to have those. Those usually come in bunches; that was the case today. We’ve got to be able to continue that, because those are game changers.”

A defensive hands-to-the-face penalty saved Baylor from a turnover on downs, which would’ve marked its third straight scoreless drive. Instead, the Bears righted the ship. Robertson hit Alabama transfer Kobe Prentice on a screen pass for the senior’s fourth touchdown reception in three games.

“I think that scoring touchdowns in general, a lot [has] to go right,” Prentice said. “I just really thank God for the opportunity in general.”

LeVar Thornton Jr snagged his second career interception on a pass that was intended to be thrown out of bounds. Washington and freshman Caden Knighten each rushed for a touchdown to close the half, sending the Bears to the break with a 35-7 lead.

The offense stalled again after halftime. The Bears opened with back-to-back three-and-outs, matching their total from the first two weeks of the season. Overall, Baylor finished with more three-and-outs (three) and punts (four) than its combined totals against Auburn and SMU. The Bears failed to score in the third quarter.

“I wouldn’t say I’m concerned, but we for sure got to get better,” Washington said.

Freshman linebacker Kaleb Burns secured a tipped pass for his first career interception, handing the ball back to the offense. But Robertson threw his second interception of the game — and the season — to end the Bears’ fourth scoreless drive of the quarter.

“Some of the Sawyer that we saw today was maybe the Sawyer from two years ago, or further back,” Aranda said. “We’ve gotta get the Sawyer that we got now, we gotta get him back to [himself], whether it’s last year or the beginning of this year. That was not what was happening today.”

A tipped pass on the following drive was initially ruled as Robertson’s third interception, but was overturned upon replay review as incomplete.

Robertson bounced back to put the team back on the board, throwing a touchdown pass to senior wideout Louis Brown IV to end the scoring drought. It was the Bears’ only score in the second half.

“I think he was feeling the pressure of stuff not working,” Aranda said. “I think he was feeling, not everybody focused in and not everybody giving the kind of effort that’s demanded. And I think he’s trying to make plays, he’s trying to make something out of nothing at times.”

Sophomore safety Micah Gifford, a converted wide receiver, tracked an overthrown deep ball to catch his first career interception, marking the second time in the past three seasons the Bears have forced at least three interceptions in a game.

“It’s something we’ve been emphasizing this whole beginning of the year,” Gifford said. “Honestly, just being able to get four today and put that on paper is great.”

The Bears will now turn their attention to a prime-time matchup with reigning Big 12 champion Arizona State. The Bears will host the Sun Devils at 6:30 p.m. Saturday at McLane Stadium.